Document 8RY5d97Vrd91qEZN7e9g6d9V5

LIU Daily Mews Digest Service JOURNAL Th# Guardian . DATE PAGE April 2, 1971 Makers withdraw a poison By our Selene* Correspondent Monsanto Chemical! Ltd., Is to curtail strictly sales on the British market of the highly poisonous and persistent indus trial chemicals known as poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Without any public announce ment, the restrictions came voluntarily Into operation in March and. after tho last " un restricted '* orders ire dis- K ed during the next two or weeks, production of PCBs it the company's Newport factory will he sharply reduced. Monsanto are the solo pro ducers In Britain and the US. A similar restriction was Imposed on the US market some months ago. PCBs, as persistent In the environment aa organochlnrine pesticides and almost as poison ous. have been in use since the 1030s and are now a widespread and significant component of the chemical contamination of the oceans. During the past few years, they have been increasingly impli cated as a contributory cause in environmental disasters such as the destruction of birds In the Irish Sea in 19W. Although atrongln terms of t circumstantial evidence, the environmental case agamst iPCBt la by no means water tight. Thta action by Monsanto Jr, therefore, both commendable ' and unusual The Question now it whether other countries will follow the Monsanto lead (both France and Germany manufacture PCBs In quantity) or whether opportunists with less environ mental conscience will try to break Into the market through the back door. This is something which the Department of the Knvlronmant could usefully, watch. . f\ MQNS 032303